Labeling machine



Nbv. 14, 1933. H. SCHWINGER 1,934,825

LABELING MACHINE Filed July 6, 1933 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 A'Homq Nov. 14, 1933. SCHWINGER LABELING MACHINE Filed Ju ly 6, 1933 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR;

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LABELING MACHINE Filed July 6, 1953 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Artur-:21.

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Patented Nov. 14, 1933 PATENT OFFICE 1,934,825 LABELING MACHINE Heinrich Schwinger, Fellbach, Germany, assignor to firm Fr. Hesser, Machinenfabrik Aktiengesellschaft Stuttgart-Cannstatt, Germany Application July 6, 1933, Serial No. 679,173, and in 'Germany March 21, 1932 6 Claims.

This invention relates to machines intended for applying labeling, banderoling and similar strips to the sides of packages, boxes and the like of substantially rectangular cross-section, and more particularly to labeling machines provided with a hopper-like recessed table for carrying the labeling strip which is so placed on the table that its two ends project by different lengths from the opposite edges ,of the recess of the table. In this type of labeling machines, the package arranged above the said strip and lowered through the said recess of the table takes the strip with it so that the latter is applied in U- shape around the bottom and the sides of the package, whereupon at first the shorter end of the strip projecting on either side beyond the top of the package is applied with glue to the top surface of the package by means of a slide or the like and subsequently the longer end of the strip is seized at its cross edge by a pair of tongs or grippers so as to also be applied to the said top surface.

According to the invention, the device is so constructed that in respect to the package moving on a horizontal path at right angles to its said downward movement towards the longer strip end, after the shorter one having been applied thereto, the tongs are displaced in the contrary direction and substantially parallel to the top surface of the package and above the same and eventually, towards the end of this advance, lowered upon the said top surface of the package. on account of this counter-movement of the tongs as compared with the advance of the package, the longer strip end is taken along without tension above the top surface of the package and only directly prior to or at the end of the counter-movement of the tongs and the package, the longer end of the strip is subject to tension and applied with glue to the package. As the movement of the tongs can be accurately adjusted with respect to the movement of the said slide intended for applying the short end of the labeling strip, the longer strip end is so guided during the said counter-movement of the tongs that it exactly registers with the short one and that even in case of packages or boxes not exactly rectangular, it is safely avoided that on this account the long strip is displaced laterally and so one or another end of the label or banderole more or less projects to the right or the left beyond the other end. Moreover, the counter-movement of the tongs taking place at the same time as the advance of the package results in a higher working speed of the whole device.

A machine according to the present invention is by way of example shown in one embodiment by the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the machine,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation,

Fig. 2 an end view of a part of Fig. 2,

Fig. 3 an end view of the machine as seen from the left side in Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig. 4 a plan of a detail of the device intended for advancing the packages at the labeling station,

Fig. 5 a top plan view of the device for placing the labels on the table of the labeling station,

Fig. 6 shows a part of the labeling device in a side elevation,

Fig.-7 is an end view of the device shown by and seen from the left side in Fig. 6,

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the device shown by Fig. 6, and

Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12 show diagrammatically the device of Fig. 6 in several subsequent working positions.

Referring now to the drawings, the various labeling or banderoling strips 1 suitably provided with an adhesive are so brought in any known or suitable manner to the table 2 of the labeling station, particularly shown by Figs. 6 to 8, that the longer strip end 1 projects beyond the table edge as shown by Figs. 6 and 8. The table 2 is provided with a recess 3 corresponding to. the length or width of the package P, and at either side of the said recess with guide surfaces 4 and 5 bent down and forming a hopper so to speak. For accurate adjustment of the labels on the table 2 are intended fixed or adjustable stops 6, '7, 8 and 8' of the table.

As the means used for taking the labels from a pile and for placing them on the said table 2 are generally known to those skilled in the art, they are shown but diagrammatically in Fig. 3. The labels 1 are stored in a container 40 which is adapted to reciprocate in the known manner in a vertical direction. Below the label container 40 there is disposed on a driving shaft 42 a cross 141 revoluble by steps of 90 each and counter-clockwise, and provided with 4 glue plates 41, one of which is only shown by Fig. 3, the

said shaft 42 being intermittently revolved in stopped at that instance below the container, whereupon the label is, by the quarter of revolution of the said cross 141 in a counter-clockwise direction, brought into a position from which it is removed by a plurality of pairs of tongs 43 rockably mounted on the shaft 44 between the said glue plate and the said table 2. The pair of tongs in a well-known way comprise a series of ledges 43 cooperating with the same number of gripping members 45. The labels are removed from the glue plate 41 by the tongs ledges 43 extending through the recesses 41 (Fig. 5) of the particular glue plate 41, from which the label had been withdrawn directly prior to the next glue plate with its fresh label arriving at the withdrawing station. When the label withdrawing device advances one step, the ledges 43 are in their rear position behind the glue plate 41 so that they can be moved from behind towards the label placed on the said plate when the front gripping members 45 will be closed. Thus the tongs lift the label from the glue plate and place it upon the said table 2, which is rendered possible by the fact that the gripping members 45''are shorter than the members 43. The design, drive and control of the tongs intended for the withdrawal of the label are well known to those skilled in the art and therefore not described here, nor shown in the drawings.

The several packages P are fed to the labeling station in a manner per se known by an endless conveyor belt 150 (Figs. 1 to 3) guided by the pulleys 150 and 150 and continuously driven by means also well-known, so that the same need not be described and shown for the purpose of the present invention. At right angles to the conveyor. belt 150 and in front of the labeling station there is disposed a slide 151 fastened to a slide bar 152, which can reciprocate in the guide 153 on the standard 65. At a bearing 154 screwed to the underslideof the slide bar 152, a link 155 is pivotally mounted, and the other end thereof is attached to a twoarmed lever 156 revoluble about a fulcrum pin 157. To the free end of thesaid lever is pivoted a driving rod 158 in turn connected to the twoarmed lever 159 revoluble on shaft 55. The roller 160 mounted on the free end of this lever 159 is in the known way pressed by a spring (not shown) against an eccentric 161 of suitable shape (Fig. 1) and fastened to the driving shaft 60. By means of the bevel gears 60" the shaft 60 is driven by the shaft which is continuously driven in a manner per se known.

The slide 151 moves the package P, which was advanced by the conveyor belt 150 as far as a fixed rail 165, between the latter and a guide -rail 166 towards and beneath the top ram 20 to be described later, during which movement the package is kept in its position by two further vertical rails 167, 168.

In the present case, the table 2 is arranged by the side of andoutside the labeling station but it can be bropghtinto the field of the latter for every labeling operation. Thismovement of the table may be in a straight line. In the embodiment shown, the table 2, is, however, adapted to a swinging motion, and it is fastened to a cross rail 9 in turn fastened to levers l0 and 11. The same are mounted on an axle 12 pivotally mounted in the bearing 12% of the standard 65. The said levers 10, 11 are actuated by a connecting rod50 attached to the arm 13 in the elongated hole 13 thereof and at the other end to a two-armed lever 51 keyed to the shaft 55. The freeend of the said lever 51 is provided with a roller 52 which is in the well-known way pressed by a spring (not shown) against a suitable eccentric 53 mounted on the driving shaft 60 (Fig. 1) In order that the label 1 is supported during the swinging movement of the table 2 from its lateral position into the field of the labeling station, guides are made use of, e. g. bent sheet metal strips 15, 16 one of which is within the reach of the projecting longer strip end 1 while the other guide extends into the recess 3 of the table 2. The guides 15 and 16 are fastened to a wall 18 which together with another wall 17 forms a lateral track for the package P. The walls or guides 17, 18 are held by an angular piece 170 bent as a U and to which is further fastened a lower guide 24 for supporting the packages while they are advanced, as will be obvious in the following.

At the labeling station there is provided the top ram 20 already referred to and a bottom ram 21 which are both adapted to a vertical recipro cation. According to Figs. 1 and 2, the top ram 20 is by a rod 20 connected to an arm 101 in turn fastened to a tube 102. The lower end of this tube carries a socket 103 to which is pivoted a link 104, the other end of which is attached to a two-armed lever 105 revoluble on shaft 55 and at its free end provided with a roller 106 which is by a spring (not shown) pressed in a manner per se known against a suitable eccentric 107 keyed to the driving shaft 60 (Fig. 1). The bottom ram 21 is fastenedto a rail 110 slidably mounted in the guide 111 of the standard 65. To the lower end of the rail 110 is attached a link 112 the other end of which is pivoted to a twoarmed lever 113 which is revoluble on the shaft 55. The free end of this lever 113 carries a roller 114 pressed by a spring (not shown) in a manner per se known against a suitable eccentric 115 of the driving shaft 60 (Fig. 1).

By the side and above the labeling station is disposed a folder slide 22 which is, according to Fig. 2, fastened to a slide bar slidably mounted in a guide 121 of a standard 121'. To the eye 122 fastened to the slide bar 120 there is attached one end of a link 123 the other end of which is pivoted to a two-armed lever 124 revoluble about a fulcrum pin 125 and to the free end of which is attached the connecting rod 126 in turn attached to the two-armed lever 127 which is revoluble about the fulcrum pin 75. The other end of the said lever carries a roller 128 which is by a spring (not'shown) in a manner per se known pressed against a suitable eccentric 130 keyed to the driving shaft 80.

By the side of the labeling station is further arranged a pusher-slide 23 fastened to a slide bar 23 (Fig. 2) which is slidable in a guide 132 of the standard 121'. To an eye 133 of the said slide bar 23 is pivoted a link 134 the other end of which is attached to a, two-armed lever 135 revoluble about fulcrum pin 125. The free end of the said two-armed lever is attached to a connecting rod 136 in turn 'pivotedto one end of the two-armed lever 137 which is revoluble about the said fulcrum pin 75. The roller 138 at the other end of this lever 137 is by a spring (not shown) pressed in a way per se known against a suitable eccentric 139 keyed to the driving shaft 80 (Fig. 1).

By the .side and above the labeling station there is disposed a pair of tongs the lower member 26 of which is at 27 about as wide as the labeling strip 1 whereas the upper memberthereof 28 is comparatively narrow (Fig. 8). Such a design of the tongs affords the particular advantage that the wide end 2'7 of the lower member 26 of the tongs supports the longer strip end 1 when seized by the said tongs, over its whole width while the strip is being carried over the package P, as described later, so that the strip cannot be displaced laterally. The upper member 28 is pivoted to the lower member 26 of the tongs and can, as will be described hereinafter, be moved in such a way that in respect to the lower member 26 of the tongs it can effect opening and closing movements. By the driving arrangement described in the following, the whole tongs can be imparted both reciprocate and tilting movements. As Fig. 6 shows, the above mentioned guide 15 extends upwards to such a height that during the swinging movement of the table 2 from its exterior position shown in Fig. 8 towards the labeling station the longer end 1 of the label or banderole is guided between the opened members 26 and 28 of the tongs. The details of the design and drive of the tongs 26, 28 will be clear from Fig. 2. The lower member 26 forms the front end of a slide bar 61 slidably mounted in a stationary guide 62. An eye 63 fastened to the said slide bar 61 is connected to a link 64, to the other end of which is attached a lever 66 keyed to a shaft 6'? to which is also keyed another lever 68 which at its end is pivoted to a conneoting rod 69. The other end of the said rod is attached to a lever '71 revoluble about a shaft 75. The lever 71 carries a roller 72 which is by a spring (not shown) pressed ina way per se known against a suitable eccentric 81 keyed to the driving shaft (Fig. 1).

At 85 the upper member 28 of the tongs is pivoted to the lower one, and at the end of a projection 28' it carries a roller 86, which can be so moved by a switch 8'7 movable in a vertical direction that the tongs are correspondingly opened and closed respectively. A spring 88, at one end secured to a pin 89 of the upper member 28 of the tongs and at the other end to an angular piece 90 fastened to the lower member 26 of the tongs, holds the tongs in the closed position when the switch 8'7 occupies its top position according to Fig. 2. The switch 87 is fas tened to a rail 91 swingable about a pin 92. To the same pin is also keyed a lever 93 to which is attached a connecting rod 94 which in turn is pivoted to the two-armed lever 95 revoluble about shaft 55 and carrying at its free end a roller 96 which is pressed by a spring (not shown) in a way per se known against a suitable eccentric 97 keyed to the driving shaft 60 (Fig. 1).

The modus operandi of the machine is as follows: T

At the start of the labeling operation, the tongs 26, 27 occupy the position and height shown by Fig. 2 while, in contrast to Fig. '7, the table 2 occupies its swung-out position according to Fig. 8, viz. outside the guide formed by the side walls 17 and 18. By the conveyor device described the label 1 to be applied to the package P is placed on the table 2 when the latter is swung into the position shown by Fig. '7 so that the label 1 is brought over' the guides 15 and 16 above the guide formed between the walls 1''! and 18, the longer projecting end 1 of the said label thus getting between the opened members 26, 28 of the tongs. Stationary or movable stops of a type known and therefore not shown may adjust the label strip into its correctposition. This having been done, the package to be labeled is brought by the above described conveyor device into a position above the recess 3 of the table 2 swung-in so as to be above the label 1, and the bottom ram 21 is raised by its actuating means described within the recess 3 up to the level of the top surface of the table 2. Now the tongs 26, 28 are closed in order to grip the longer strip end 1, and the package P is by the descending movement of the rams 20, 21 pushed through the recess 3 so that with the aid of the guides 4 and 5 the labeling strip 1 is caused to bear both against the underside and the front ends of the said package. When this pushing action begins, also the tongs are taken along so that at the end of the downward stroke of the rams the package P occupies the position shown by Fig. 10. Thereupon the top ram20 rises again, and the table 2 swings back into its initial position. Then the longer end of the labeling strip 1 is no more supported, as is obvious from Fig. 11, but held by the tongs 26, 28 only. At the same time the slide 22 had been advanced by its actuating means described, so as to apply the shorter end 1 of the strip to the top surface of the package P (Fig. 11). Now the pusher slide 23 is advanced by its operating means described and pushes the package P between the side guides 17 and 18 in the direction of the-arrow in Fig. 11 upon the lower guide 24. While this is taking place, the tongs 26, 28 which in the position shown by Fig. 11 occupy a position somewhat raised above the top of the package, are moved by their actuating means in a slanting downward plane in a direction contrary tothat of the movement of the package so that the strip end 1 is laid around the end of the lower member 2'7 of the tongs (Fig. 12) and supported over its entire width. 'Canting thereof is avoided by the fact that the top member 28 of the tongs holds the strip over a narrow portion only. At the end of the feeding movement of the slide 23, the package P has arrived at the position shown by Fig. 12 and in which the longer strip end 1 has come into contact 'with the top face of the package but without fully sticking to the same. Now the tongs 26,

27 are by their actuating means imparted a further displacement approximately beyond the edge of the package P so that the longer strip end 1 is stretched and caused to fully stick to the said package, and on account of the guidage described of the labeling strip the two ends thereof are caused to exactly register; Finally the tongs are brought back into their initial position according to Fig. 6 and are so prepared to receive the next strip 1 meanwhile placed on the table 2 and swung with the same into its labeling position.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the construction of the described and illustrated device without departing from my invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:;-

1. In a, labeling machine of the type specified, comprising a table provided with a recess, means for depositing a label upon the table so as to project at one end beyond the table, means for lowering a package together with the label 145 through the said table recess, means for folding the shorter end of the label upon the top face of the lowered package, and means for feeding the lowered package in the direction of the longer end of the label, a pair of tongs adapted to grip 156 the longer end of the label, and operating means adapted to move the tongs in a direction contrary to that of the said package.

2. A machine of the type specified in claim 1, in which the operating means for the tongs are adapted to move the tongs in the direction contrary to the movement of the lowered package substantially parallel to the top surface of the same. p

3. A machine of the type specified in claim 1, in which the operating means for the tongs are adapted to move the tongs in the direction contrary to the movement of the lowered package substantially parallel to the top surface thereof and to lower the tongs upon the said top surface at the end of this movement.

4. In a labeling machine of the type specified, comprising a recessed table, means for depositing a label upon the table so as to project at one end beyond the table, means for lowering a package together with the label through the said table recess, means for folding the shorter end of the label upon the top face of the lowered package, and means for feeding the lowered package in the direction of the longer end of the label, a pair of tongs adapted to grip the longer end of the label, and operating means adapted to move the tongs in a direction contrary to that of the said package, the operative end of the lower member of the tongs having substantially the width of the label.

5. In a labeling machine of the type specified, comprising a recessed table, means for depositing a label upon the table so as to project at one end beyond the table, means for lowering a package together with the label through the said table recess, means for folding the shorter end of the'label upon the top face of the lowered package, and means for feeding the lowered package in the direction of the longer end of the label, a pair of tongs adapted to grip the longer end of the label, and operating means adapted to move the tongs in a direction contrary to that of the said package, the operative end of the lower member of the tongs having substantially the width of the label, and the upper member of the tongs being less wide than the label.

6. In a machine of the type specified, having a labeling station and comprising a movable, recessed table, means adapted to move said table from an inoperative position into the operative position on said labeling station, means for depositing a label upon the table in its inoperative position so as to project at oneend beyond the table, means for lowering a package together with the label through the said table recess, means for folding the shorter end of the label upon the top face of the lowered package, means for feeding the lowered package in the direction of the longer end of the label, a pair of tongs adapted to grip the longer end of the label, and operating from their means adapted to move the tongs in a direction contrary to that of the said package, said recessed table being mounted to terminate a certain distance from the tongs occupying their inoperative initial position so as to leave a gap between sazid tongs and the folding table when occupying its operative position, and bridge-like guides being provided between the end of the table and the tongs and between the table recess and the labeling station so as to support the said label during the inward motion of the table and to introduce the said label end projecting beyond the table into the said tongs prior to the closing movement thereof.

HEINRICH SCHWINGER. 

